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British Columbia • 625 Registered Wells

Nanaimo Water Well Depth & Hydrogeology

Regional groundwater summary • British Columbia Historical Log Extraction

Bottom Line Up Front

In Nanaimo, the median completed well is 220 ft deep.

A published hardness range for this place and aquifer is less than 10 to 180, and groundwater can exceed 1,000 mg/L as CaCO₃. That is a regional estimate, not a test of your well. Source: Estimate based on B.C. Ministry of Environment water-quality checks.

Most production draws from Bedrock (about 28% of local wells).

These municipal aggregates support planning only — they do not replace an accredited laboratory potability test for your own well.

Interactive Well Depth & Modeled Typical Strata

Drag the indicator line or tap a stratum below to read the recorded depth range

Drilling in: Sand & Gravel Aquifer (48–550+ ft)Glacial Drift Aquifer

Modelled Depth

220 FT

Area median

Drilling cost

$15,400–$33,000

Estimate

Published hardness

less than 10 to 180, and groundwater can exceed 1,000 mg/L as CaCO₃

0 ft (Surface)Median 220 ft550 ft (Deep)
Topsoil & Surficial Organics
Glacial Drift Silt & Till
Sand & Gravel Aquifer
Modeled typical strata:

Modeled typical strata — placeholder from median depth + aquifer type; not local driller logs.

Well Statistics

Local measurements compared against British Columbia provincial benchmarks.

Total Registered Wells 625
Median Well Depth 220 ft
BC benchmark: 162 ft provincial median
Average Well Depth 242.6 ft
Dominant Aquifer Bedrock
Hardness less than 10 to 180, and groundwater can exceed 1,000 mg/L as CaCO₃ — Estimate. Estimate based on B.C. Ministry of Environment water-quality checks
Drilling cost $15,400–$33,000 — Estimate. Typical drilling prices in Canada, about $70–$150 per foot
Domestic Household Use 87% of wells

Where This Report Applies

Approximate boundary of Nanaimo

Shaded area is an approximate municipal outline for orientation only. Well records are aggregated across the entire Nanaimo.

Depth Distribution

Most completed wells fall near the median depth of 220 ft. Recorded depths cover 608 wells.

0–49 ft 7.1% · 43
49–98 ft 10% · 61
98–148 ft 11.7% · 71
148–197 ft 12.3% · 75
197–295 ft 28.6% · 174
295–394 ft 12.5% · 76
394–591 ft 14.6% · 89
591+ ft 3.1% · 19

Median depth of 220 ft falls inside the reported range. Deeper completions here usually mean higher mineral content but steadier year-round pressure.

Aquifer Composition

Bedrock and drift aquifers recorded by drillers in this area. Recorded for 205 of these 625 wells.

Carbonate Bedrock (Limestone / Dolomite) Primary Bedrock Aquifer
28.3%

177 of 625 Major regional bedrock aquifer formed by Ordovician/Silurian dolomite. Known for reliable, high-volume yields with elevated mineral hardness and dissolved calcium/magnesium carbonates.

Undifferentiated Aquifer Regional Formation
4.5%

28 of 625 Unclassified hydrogeological formation from legacy provincial drill records.

59 holes found no usable water. test holes, observation or monitoring wells, dewatering wells, decommissioned wells, dry holes, no-aquifer holes, and other non-supply wells filtered out of the headline

Water Quality Profile

A published hardness range, when one exists for this place and aquifer. Not a test of your well.

Measured nearby

Measured government tests within 25 km of Nanaimo.

Soft (<60) Med (61–120) Hard (121–180) V. hard (>180)

USGS (2018) bands reprinted by Health Canada. A range can cross more than one band. This is not a sample.

What this is not

  • Not a laboratory result for a well on your property.
  • Not a reason to size a softener. Size equipment from a lab test.
  • Not a drilling quote. A cost line on this page is a national estimate, not a price for one well.

Health Canada has not set a maximum acceptable concentration for hardness. A wide published range can sit in more than one USGS band.

OBS WELL 194 - GABRIOLA ISLAND (HWYS YARD; NORTH RD.), 8.49 km away, nearby.

4 government lab tests, dated 1990–2003.

These results are old (tested 1990–2003).

Hardness 7–9 mg/L as CaCO₃, median 7.8.

Worked out by wellwaterguide.ca from 4 government lab tests.

reported hardness, or calculated from measured calcium and magnesium when hardness was not reported

BC Environmental Monitoring Data System (EnMoDS) results: Provincial Groundwater Observation Well Network wells Open Government Licence - British Columbia

Drilling Activity

Historical permit and construction activity by decade.

Pre-1970 8 wells
1970s 9 wells
1980s 53 wells
1990s 91 wells
2000s 129 wells
2010s 159 wells
2020s 79 wells

Treatment

Size treatment from a laboratory test

This page does not turn a hardness range or a well depth into an equipment total, a grain capacity, or a drilling price. Read the methodology, the filtration guide, and the products catalog.

Suggested system

Suggested system for Nanaimo

1

Test kit

estimate, confirm with a lab test

A test of your own well comes before any equipment. Test for coliform bacteria.

Water testing
2

Iron and manganese filter

estimate, confirm with a lab test

Manganese above the aesthetic objective, consider an iron/manganese filter. One monitoring well near this place has median iron of 0.338 mg/L. Another has median manganese of 0.1725 mg/L.

Iron and manganese guide
Local Contractors

Licensed Water Well Drillers Serving Nanaimo

Because water wells in Nanaimo average 220 ft into bedrock, contractors equipped with heavy rotary rigs and proper casing seals are recommended. Contact local drillers directly or request competitive bids.

Drillwell Enterprises Ltd.

Yard: Duncan, BC (44.4 km away)

Serves Nanaimo
Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Island Bedrock Formations Artesian Well Sealing Geothermal
(250) 746-5268

Blue Max Drilling Inc.

Yard: Cumberland, BC (96.1 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Comox Valley Bedrock Domestic Well Drilling Geothermal Heating
(778) 237-2583

Fraser Valley Well Drilling

Yard: Abbotsford, BC (116.2 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Residential Drinking Wells Pump Installations Well Decommissioning
(604) 670-3033

A & H Drilling Ltd.

Yard: Chilliwack, BC (148.6 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Dual Rotary Drilling Agricultural Irrigation Domestic Wells
(604) 794-5544

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about water wells in Nanaimo.

What is the median well depth in Nanaimo?

Among 608 producing water wells with a recorded depth, the median is 220.0 ft (67.06 m).

Which aquifer is recorded most often in Nanaimo?

The most frequently recorded producing aquifer is Bedrock, on 177 of 205 wells with a producing aquifer name.

Adjacent Municipalities & Nearby Well Records

Explore neighbouring hydrogeological formations and compare drilling depths

South Wellington

6.1 km

View well logs →

Cedar

9.3 km

View well logs →

Cassidy

9.4 km

View well logs →

Gabriola Island

10.2 km

View well logs →

Mudge Island

10.6 km

View well logs →

Nearby communities